Scottish Executive

Childcare

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned on good practice by employers in providing for childcare needs in rural areas.

Euan Robson: The Scottish Executive part funded Children in Scotland’s "Growing up in Rural Scotland" programme, which, in 2001, included research into the role of local enterprise companies in rural childcare. It explored practical examples such as childcare as a business, sustainability of child care and funding.

  The Scottish Executive has also undertaken a programme of work with voluntary organisations, local enterprise companies (LECs) and childcare partnerships to engage employers in providing for childcare needs.

Communities

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what pilot projects it has established to promote constructive dialogue between service providers in rural areas in each appropriate local authority area.

Ross Finnie: The Executive funds a wide range of many and varied projects which promote constructive dialogue between service providers in rural areas and between service providers and their customers, including projects which are funded through the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund and the Modernising Government Fund. We also encourage such dialogue more generally through community planning.

  An example from the Modernising Government Fund is the Dialogue Youth project which was piloted in two rural areas (Argyll and Bute and Angus) and aims to provide young people with a range of information, ideas and incentives to enable them to make informed decisions and choices and turn their own ideas into action. Following the success of the pilots the Scottish Executive provided £5.4 million in funding to roll out Dialogue Youth across all 32 local authority areas by December 2005.

  We also fund the Rural Community Gateway website which is designed to foster dialogue between service providers by providing better access to information for those living and working in rural communities and encouraging the sharing of good practice both locally and across rural Scotland.

  In addition, through the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund, we fund strategic Local Rural Partnerships, usually covering a local authority area, for a maximum of three years to engage local government agencies and the voluntary and private sectors to plan strategically for their rural area.

Credit Unions

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many credit unions there are in rural areas.

Ms Margaret Curran: There are currently seven credit unions with head offices based in rural areas in Scotland. Many more credit unions are accessible to people living in rural areas.

Education

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its finalised integrated strategy for early years.

Peter Peacock: We plan to publish the Integrated Early Years Strategy this summer.

Elderly People

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a senior citizens’ representative will be invited to participate in the group established to conduct an independent review of local government finance; when the group will first meet; who will decide its remit, and how long it will take to produce recommendations.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is currently working up the details of the remit for the independent review of local government finance. An announcement on the remit and other aspects of the review will be made shortly.

Employment

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it responded to the consultation by the European Commission on the working time directive and, if so, whether it will make that response available to the Parliament.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has been fully involved in contributing to the UK response to the European Commission consultation on the Working Time Directive.

Europe

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has instigated in order to celebrate, and respond to, the enlargement of the European Union.

Mr Andy Kerr: We have instigated a range of initiatives to celebrate EU enlargement, in Scotland, in Brussels and in the new member states.

  In Scotland I hosted a business event in Glasgow on 5 May to celebrate enlargement and the success of Scottish business in the new member states. The Deputy Education Minister participated in an enlargement webchat with young people on the Scottish Executive website on 29 April. The Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Services hosted an enlargement/Europe day lecture given in Edinburgh Castle on 10 May by the Estonian Minister for Economic Affairs and Communications, Mr Meelis Atonen.

  The First Minister sent a letter to major newspapers in the new member states, welcoming their citizens to the EU.

  In Brussels, we have organised a season of films from the new member states throughout 2004. This was opened in January by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport.

  Officials from the Scottish Executive are undertaking a programme of fact-finding visits to the new member states to mark enlargement; three of these visits were timed to coincide with accession day.

  We have also developed an EU enlargement section of our website.

  Additionally, we continue to work closely with external partners, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Council, the European Commission, Scottish business organisations and the Edinburgh Consortium on a further range of initiatives to celebrate EU Enlargement. This included my opening speech at the outdoor family public event in Princes Street Gardens, organised by the Edinburgh Consortium to mark accession day on 1 May.

Ferry Services

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration will be given to the community campaign for alternative routes of travel prior to any tendering of ferry services to South Uist.

Nicol Stephen: The proposals for tendering the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, published for consultation in June 2002, explained that it was the intention to broadly replicate the existing services and timetables. We received a good response to the consultation exercise, including representations for alternative ferry services to South Uist. We are currently in the process of finalising the service specification, reflecting points made through the consultation exercise. There seems little scope to accommodate an alternative route servicing South Uist in the service specification as it would require an additional vessel and crew. We would need to consider the costs of this against other competing pressures on the transport budget.

  However, the service specification will not set in stone the services and timetables for the contract period. There would be opportunities for changes to be approved provided the operator has agreed these with the local communities concerned through the consultative mechanism and the financial consequences are acceptable to the Executive. The Executive also plans to undertake research during the first two years of the tendered contract to develop ideas for service and related vessel developments that might feed into the second contract. This proposal, along with others that have been suggested in relation to the network, will be considered for inclusion in the research.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether there should be further changes to the Common Fisheries Policy that have not already been agreed and, if so, what such changes would be.

Ross Finnie: We believe that there should be progressive change within the Common Fisheries Policy, not least to ensure appropriate regional and devolved management in the light of the Council’s recent Decision to establish Regional Advisory Councils.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will use the underspends in respect of the 2003 decommissioning, transitional aid and hardship relief schemes for providing assistance to the fishing industry.

Ross Finnie: Any funds allocated in 2003 for decommissioning and transitional support but not used for that purpose will be available for reallocation. An announcement on the use of all 2003-04 underspend will be made in due course by the Minister for Finance and Public Services.

  In relation to the hardship relief scheme there was no underspend as the £1.8 million figure was an estimation of the maximum amount of relief that could be granted. It was never a commitment to put this amount aside in order to aid the onshore sector as that could be classed as a state aid.

Food Safety

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to monitor any levels of (a) listeria, (b) E.coli , (c) pesticides and (d) carcinogens in salads and vegetables offered for sale in modified atmospheric packaging in supermarkets.

Mr Tom McCabe: Food safety is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Monitoring of the safety and quality of food is carried out routinely by local authorities in their capacities as "Food Authorities" under the Food Safety Act 1990. Local authorities determine local priorities for sampling surveillance but will also contribute to wider national surveys when required.

  The agency also undertakes a programme of UK surveys, however, there are currently none that specifically address the monitoring of listeria, E. coli, pesticides or carcinogens in salads and vegetables offered for sale in modified atmospheric packaging in supermarkets.

  On advice from the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF), the FSA is currently consulting on its "Guidance on the safety and shelf-life of vacuum and modified atmosphere packed chilled foods". The aim of the consultation is to produce guidance for manufacturers, retailers and local authorities (food enforcement) that assists them to be aware of the steps that they need to take to control food poisoning bacteria and avoid some of the confusion that surrounds what is a very technical area.

Gaelic

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to involve the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages in the development of the final draft of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.

  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  A dh’ fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba de na ceumannan a tha e a’ gabhail gus pàirt a thoirt do Bhiùro Eòrpach nam Mion-chànain ann a bhith a’ dèanamh na dreachd mu dheireadh de Bhile na Gàidhlig.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-8227 on 25 May 2004.

  All answers for written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search.

  The Scottish Executive has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  Tha mi airson aire a' bhuill a thoirt chun fhreagairt a chaidh a thoirt do cheist S2W-08227. Tha freagairtean nan CP sgrìobhte rim faotainn air làrach-lìn na Pàrlamaid, agus lorgar an goireas-rannsachaidh aig http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Gaelic

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many newly-qualified Gaelic-medium primary teachers will leave Scottish colleges or courses of further education at the end of this academic year and how many vacancies will exist for them.

  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  A dh’ fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba co mheud neach-teagaisg air an ùr ceumnachadhַa bhios a’ fàgail cholaistean no chùrsaichean foghlaim àrd-ìre aig deireadh an t-seisein acadaimigich seo agus a dh’ fhaighneachd co mheud dreuchd bàn a bhios ann dhaibh.

Peter Peacock: Subject to satisfactory completion of their courses, 13 newly qualified Gaelic medium primary teachers will leave universities offering Teacher Education at the end of this academic year.

  There have been 12 Gaelic medium primary vacancies offered by Scottish local authorities for the Teacher Induction Scheme.

  The Scottish Executive has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  Ma chrìochnaicheas iad an cùrsaichean, bidh 13 tidsearan bunsgoil meadhan-Gàidhlig air an ùr-theisteanachadh aig deireadh an t-seisein seo le oilthighean a tha a’ tabhann Foghlam Thidseir.

  Chaidh 12 àite bunsgoil meadhan-Gàidhig a shònrachadh le Ùghdarrasan ionadail ann an Alba airson an Sgeam Inntigidh Thidseir.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive with reference to the article "Screening Saves Lives" in the May edition of Health Quarterly, Holyrood Policy Journal , what plans are in place to implement (a) a national colorectal screening programme following the successful pilot schemes in Grampian, Tayside and Fife and (b) a concerted drive to raise awareness of the disease and to encourage participation, given that there are approximately 3,500 cases and almost 2,000 deaths from colorectal cancer each year.

Malcolm Chisholm: Following the positive evaluation of the UK Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot the Executive has re-affirmed the commitment given in Cancer in Scotland  to introduce a national bowel cancer screening programme. The planning process, which will take around five years, has begun and the key components are outlined in the Bowel Cancer Framework for Scotland which was published in April 2004. A copy of the Framework is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 32698). The role of public awareness campaigns, which is primarily for NHS boards, is covered in the Framework.

Industrial Injuries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government in respect of adding impingement syndrome of the shoulder to the list of prescribed diseases and whether it has made any representations to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council about the matter and whether those who have sustained impingement syndrome of the shoulder as a result of their occupation should be entitled to receive compensation under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme.

Lewis Macdonald: This is a reserved matter. The decision on which diseases should be prescribed for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit purposes is a matter for the Department of Work and Pensions acting on advice from the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and that body is open to receiving any evidence which may pertain to the prescription of a condition as an industrial disease.

Justice

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to invite tenders for the monitoring of individuals who are electronically tagged as part of their sentences as a result of any forthcoming legislation.

Cathy Jamieson: No steps have been taken as yet to invite tenders for the electronic monitoring of individuals as a result any forthcoming legislation.

Justice

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which companies have been invited to tender in respect of any new service requirements in relation to the provision of electronic tagging and monitoring of individuals tagged as a result of their sentences.

Cathy Jamieson: As yet, we have not invited any companies to tender for new electronic service requirements contained in the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill and the Anti Social Behaviour etc (Scotland) Bill.

Justice

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation currently provides the tagging and monitoring services in relation to those who have been tagged as a result of their sentence.

Cathy Jamieson: Following a competitive tendering exercise in 2001, the electronic monitoring contract was awarded to Reliance Monitoring Services Ltd.

Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1973

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the compensation clauses within the Land Compensation (Scotland) Act 1973

Mrs Mary Mulligan: We have no immediate plans to do so.

Languages

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7400 by Mr Frank McAveety on 4 May 2004, whether its statement that "it expects to develop a national language strategy" allows for the possibility that such a strategy will not be developed.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Partnership for a Better Scotland, which sets out the policies and direction of the Scottish Executive for this Parliament, states that, "We will develop a new focus for Scotland’s languages recognising both our heritage and our diversity. We will legislate to provide secure status for Gaelic through a Gaelic Language Bill. We will introduce a national language strategy to guide the development and support of Scotland’s languages, including British Sign Language and ethnic community languages. We will give local authorities and other public bodies a responsibility to draw up a languages plan which reflects the communities they serve".

Livestock

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to sell its stud farms in the Highlands and Islands and, in particular, Beechwood Farm and Knocknagael Farm.

Allan Wilson: There are no current plans to sell Beechwood Farm or Knocknagael Farm.

Local Government

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current review of the funding of local authorities will include an examination of the methods of working of valuation appeal panels.

Tavish Scott: No. A valuation appeal panel is a body consisting of at least 12 individuals, appointed by the appropriate sheriff principal, from which are drawn members of valuation appeal committees (VACs). The Council on Tribunals, which operates independently of both central and local government, has a statutory duty to monitor the constitution and working of tribunals (which includes VACs) under its supervision.

NHS Boards

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that cost-cutting plans announced by NHS Greater Glasgow will deliver significant improvements in the delivery of health services.

Malcolm Chisholm: All NHS boards must manage within their allocated resources. It is for local NHS boards to consider priorities and to ensure a range of high quality services for all their patients while staying within their financial allocations.

NHS Funding

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7829 by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 May 2004, whether there has been an increase in real terms in public funding for the NHS between 1999 and 2004 and, if so, what the increase has been.

Malcolm Chisholm: The real terms increase in public funding for NHSScotland between 1999-2000 and 2004-05 is just under 37%.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-departmental public bodies (a) were established, (b) were abolished and (c) there were in each year since 1995.

Mr Andy Kerr: Detailed information on public bodies is contained on the Public Bodies and Appointments website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/. The number of public bodies in Scotland currently stands at 141.

  Prior to the websites establishment in 2002, detailed information on public bodies was published in the annual Cabinet Office document Public Bodies. Copies of this document are available from http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/agencies-publicbodies/.

  The table shows the trend in the number of public bodies from 1995 to 2003 and tracks the changes which have been effected during our administration.

  

 Public Bodies
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Executive
 48
 41
 37
 36
 38
 38
 38
 39
 34


 Advisory
 116
 97
 96
 62
 56
 53
 51
 48
 47


 Tribunals
 14
 34
 34
 36
 36
 35
 36
 35
 35


 Health Service
 68
 68
 68
 68
 50
 52
 52
 26
 25


 Nationalised Industries
 3
 3
 3
 3
 3
 3
 3
 2
 2


 Public Corporations
 Not Listed
 3
 3
 3
 3
 3
 3
 1
 1


 Total
 249
 246
 241
 208
 186
 184
 183
 151 
 144



  Sources: Scottish Executive and Public Bodies (1995-2001 editions).

Post Offices

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government with regard to recent post office closures announced in Aberdeen and the north east.

Allan Wilson: Detailed arrangements for the restructuring of the post office network are operational matters for the Royal Mail which is answerable to its regulator, Postcomm and the UK Government on all aspects of these reserved matters. A decision to close a Post Office branch is made only after taking full account of feedback received from customers, MPs, MSPs or assembly members, councillors, local authorities, groups such as Age Concern and Citizen’s Advice Bureau, and the independent consumer watchdog, Postwatch. To date in Scotland the Royal Mail have proposed for closure only branches where the sub-postmaster has expressed a desire to leave the business and the business is designated as not viable.

Post Offices

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to commission any studies regarding the economic and social impact of post office closures.

Allan Wilson: The Royal Mail, Post Offices and postal issues are reserved matters and the UK Government remains committed to a viable network of post offices across the country. The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of the availability across Scotland of services provided by the Post Office Network. The Executive has already put in place a £2 million fund to assist urban deprived areas to retain service provision and will monitor post office developments to identify any other role it can play within its devolved powers.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to the dissemination of good practice in the use of rural community buildings, such as schools and village halls.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has expended a total of £189,000 on dissemination of good practice in the use of rural community buildings in the last two years. This includes the development of the Rural Community Gateway Website, a website devoted to sharing information and advice to rural communities in Scotland.

  We want to ensure that communities across rural Scotland continue to learn from each other. In 2003 we commissioned a project to investigate innovative approaches to service delivery in rural Scotland, which included cases involving village halls and other community facilities. We launched the Innovative Methods of Service Delivery in Rural Scotland: A Good Practice Guide at the Rural Services Conference in September 2003.

  Consideration of the management and use of school buildings is the responsibility of the local authorities.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in making rural community buildings accessible to all, given the requirements on the accessibility of buildings.

Ross Finnie: Disability discrimination legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), is reserved to the UK Government. The Department of Works and Pensions has conducted an awareness raising campaign to ensure that those with responsibility for public facilities take steps to improve the accessibility of their facilities. This would include rural community buildings where they are managed either by the local authority or by the voluntary sector.

  While there is no Scottish Executive funding available to the voluntary sector specifically for DDA compliance, the Local Capital Grants Scheme, one of the strands of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund, has provided grants to 22 community groups over the last two years to upgrade their buildings in compliance with the DDA. Local authorities are expected to consider their responsibilities under DDA in identifying capital investment priorities.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what pilot schemes have been undertaken to investigate the "community mall" concept in each local authority area.

Ross Finnie: The Executive has worked to facilitate a pilot project aimed at testing the "Community Mall" concept as an innovative approach to providing services in rural areas.

  As a result of this work, Borders Enterprise has recently commissioned phase two of the Walkerburn Community Mall study. Phase two builds on phase one which was an initial exploration of the potential for a community mall in the area. Phase two will include an architectural assessment of sites, an evaluation of outline proposals for the project and an initial exploration of the market potential. Key partners in the project are Scottish Borders Council, Borders Enterprise and the Walkerburn community.

  We will be exploring any potential for roll out from this project to other areas of rural Scotland in due course.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned on the relationship between access to rural services and travel patterns.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive published research on rural accessibility in 2002 that examined the relationship between travel patterns and access to rural services. Also in 2002, we published Availability of Services In Rural Scotland, which provided maps of access to services using a drive-time measure. The Executive has also co-funded a study on settlements, services and access in partnership with the Treasury, Countryside Agency and the Welsh Assembly.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into international best practice in the provision of rural services.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive published The Review of International Best Practice in Service Delivery to Remote and Rural Areas in 2002. In May we announced funding for the DESERVE project through the Northern Periphery Programme, an EU Interreg IIIb programme, which aims to test different models for rural service delivery and share best practice across Northern Europe. This project is a three-year project beginning in July 2004.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into funders’ requirements in respect of rural community buildings.

Ross Finnie: The Executive is fully aware of the need to take into account the requirements of other funders in relation to the provision of rural community facilities.

  A consultation on the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF) came to an end on 28 May. One of the schemes within the SRPF is the Local Capital Grants Scheme which provides funding for new or upgraded community facilities for educational, social and recreational activities. As part of the consultation process, we have discussed with a number of funders, including local authorities, the Community Fund

  and community and voluntary organisations across Scotland, their needs in relation to the funding of community facilities. These discussions will be on-going once changes to the SRPF following the consultation process are clear.

  An external evaluation of the SRPF was carried out in the autumn of 2003 which explored many of these same issues.

  In addition, we work closely on a regular basis with local authorities in relation to the day to day running of the SRPF and with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and others regarding the provision of funding for village halls.

Rural Development

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in extension of the Highland Wellbeing Alliance/Post Office/Barataria Foundation pilot projects to all areas of rural Scotland.

Ross Finnie: The Highland Wellbeing Alliance/Post Office/Barataria Foundation pilot project was set up to test ways of delivering services through the Post Office network. Post Offices are a matter reserved to the UK Government. The package of support from the DTI to Post Office Ltd includes a Flexible Fund for the development of innovative pilot projects for the delivery of postal services. A significant element of this programme is the development of partnerships with public and voluntary sector organisations. In Scotland, this has included a partnership with Fife Constabulary where four post offices are providing basic policing services across the counter. Post Office Ltd are also investigating whether they can partner Scottish Enterprise Borders in the Walkerburn "community mall" pilot.

Scottish Executive Staff

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5676 by Mr Andy Kerr on 28 January 2004, at what stage the review of its policy for all Scottish Executive staff retiring at 60 is and, if the review is complete, what its findings were.

Mr Andy Kerr: The policy review of all Scottish Executive staff retiring at the age of 60 is on-going. We are considering both issues related to age and also what further steps we might take as an organisation in helping our staff, who are approaching retirement age, prepare for their retirement.

Social Inclusion

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish Enterprise’s specific social inclusion remit is.

Mr Jim Wallace: A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS), together with the progress measures in Measuring Progress Towards a Smart Successful Scotland , set the strategic direction for the enterprise networks. SSS requires Scottish Enterprise to take a number of cross-cutting issues, including social justice, into account in pursuing the priorities set out. Relevant progress measures include: the proportion of 16 to 19-year-olds not in education, training or employment and reducing the gap in unemployment rates between the worst areas and the Scottish average.

  As set out in its Operating Plan, Scottish Enterprise contributes to the Executive’s social justice milestones, including reducing the proportion of unemployed people and increasing the employment rates of groups relatively disadvantaged in the labour market. Details of related activities and targets are set out in Scottish Enterprise’s Operating Plans.

Social Inclusion

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes and partnerships Scottish Enterprise has for addressing its social inclusion remit and what percentage of annual expenditure it devotes to these programmes and partnerships.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Enterprise addresses inclusion and social justice in growing the Scottish economy through its skills and learning activities and also by mainstreaming social justice into all other functional activities.

  Information on programmes and partnerships and the allocation of expenditure to activities which promote social inclusion is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

Wildlife

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S2W-8057 by Ross Finnie on 19 May 2004, which officials from its Environment and Rural Affairs Department, the Food Standards Agency, the State Veterinary Service and Forestry Commission Scotland are preparing the report for ministers on the conduct of recent culls in Glenfeshie.

Ross Finnie: The report was prepared with contributions from all these bodies. It is current practice not to name individual officials.